LeftyBrown's Corner

To qualify for this, a book has to had been read by me in 2004, so this includes stuff that started in 2003 but wrapped up in 2004.

1. Ex Machina (Wildstorm) Brian K. Vaughn and Tony Harris hit this one of the ballpark. What happens when a superhero runs for political office in a world much like ours. Vaughn writes a compelling story in which the political world offers more conflicts than those in the spandex world of super-villains and alien races. Tony Harris is at the top of his game on this book, and all the guilty parties have stated that they intend to keep with this book for the long-run. I look forward to this book each month.

2. Demo (Ati/PlanetLar) I was thinking about writing a longer piece just on how great Demo was, and I still may do that, but I have to say this about Demo, it's timeless, heartfelt, human, and otherworldly. Becky Cloonan dishes out her talent in each page, each issue finding new nuances to suit the story's message (if there is one to be found). I find myself connecting with a great many of these issues, not that I've ever been a slacker, or a mill-worker, a military man, or a teen with hidden talents. Brian Wood does an exceptional job with finding the humanity of each issues protagonist(s), the characters may only find life in ink and paper, but they resonate with this reader. I was sad to let this series go, and have found myself picking up random issues and reading them. The only issue that must be read in a particular order is issue 12, it's a goodbye, and in my opinion should always come last in one's reading.

3. True Story Swear To God (Clib's Boy) No longer having a pull list, I always have a hard time remembering what and when the new issue is out. So I've read the series several times over, the last issue I read was one of my favorite single issue published in 2004. It was heartbreaking as Tom recounted leaving his family to move to Puerto Rico. TSSTG has some laugh out loud funny moments, romantic storylines, and strong characters. Ati/PlanetLar has the first trade,and will soon have a second trade. They also have a collection of his strips as well. This reminds me I need to find out what's the latest issue that's out, because it's been a couple months since my last True Story fix.

4. Superman Secret Identity (DC Comics) I know it's wrong to say this, but I'm so glad I waited for the trade of this wonderful miniseries. I heard good things about this mini, but wanted to wait to read the whole thing without the wait between issues. I wanted each issue/installment to be fresh in my head. Kurt Busiek is at the top of his game here in the tale of a teenager named Clark Kent in a world like ours, where Superman is merely a comic book character. This teenager finds out that he has super-powers. Each issue moves the character in time, and we see our protagonist is different stages of his life. The storytelling is absorbing, and is complemented by the realist art by Stuart Immonen. This is my favorite trade paperback of 2004.

5. Y the Last Man (Vertigo) This is Brian K. Vaughn's second appearance in my top ten list. Y the Last Man continues to be a compelling read, and knowing that this series will eventually end, it's exciting to see some mysteries pay off, and see character's loyalties be questioned. This comic almost always is the first to be read in my pile, and always have me jonesing for the next issue.

6. She-Hulk (Marvel) First off, I'm having trouble finding a copy of issue #10. My shop sold-out and there are no reorders to be had. Hopefully I'll find it, because so far this is my second favorite new read of 2004 (just behind Ex Machina). Much has been said of She-Hulk's "done in one (or two)" storycycles. Let me tell you, that's so not important. Here's what you need to know...Dan Slott has broken the mold on what's possible in a super-hero book. He's not writing Dark Knight: Electric Boogaloo, or retreading old humor books. This is something new to comics, the closest we've seen to this is Ally McBeal or Boston Legal, married with Howard the Duck. Not only is he writing comedy gold that can be enjoyed by the casual reader or the continuity-laden fanboy. He is telling stories that are laugh out loud funny, but with strong vein of adventure and wonder. Dan Slott thinks out of the box much to my pleasure.

7. Astonishing X-Men (Marvel) Yes Virginia there is a Colossus. Buffy creator, Josh Whedon cranked the volume up to 11 this year with the reinvigeration of the X-Men. Whedon's forte in this series so far has been his characterizations and the subtle growing menace in the Xavier mansion. John Cassaday provides breathtaking art that just might be the purtiest in the biz.

8. DC: The New Frontier (DC) Darwyn Cooke's miniseries is like thumbing through an old yearbook and only remembering the good things. This mini took a rose-colored look at the formation of the silver age super-heroes. The mini looked wonderful, the story was very interesting, and there were no ads (hence the sales-killing price-point). I just know there are lots of people just waiting for a hardcover collection of the entire series. Oh, and did I mention that Hal Jordan was the central protagonist?

9. Gotham Central (DC Comics) Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, and Michael Lark. Like many folks, I'm sad to see Lark move on to Marvel, but the writers are what initially drove me to Gotham Central. I love the premise of the series, a comic book version of Homicide set in the hometown of Batman. The characters are interesting, the stories suspenseful, and I adore the noir art from Michael Lark.

10. Queen & Country vol 6 Operation Dandelion (Oni Press) I've only been pickup the trades of this series, and this is my favorite of the whole series. This volume introduces some new characters, and the behind the scenes governmental infighting was brilliant. I'm eagerly awaiting the next volume (and from there I'll dive into the new hardcover).